Pappu Charu/Sambar

Pappu charu as we call it at home is also called as sambar in many places . The only difference is in sambar we add sambar powder where as in pappu charu we don't add it. I think this is one of the favourites for all the south Indians. There are many ways to do this recipe , today in my blog I am writing about the one which my mother-in-law makes .






Ingredients :

1/2 cup toor dal/kandhi pappu
1 Onion
1 Tomato
6 to 7 chillies
2 garlic crushed
one small lemon sized tamarind
curry leaves
vegetables(sorakaya, munnakkadalu, carrot,bendakaya) which ever you like
salt to taste
chilli powder
2 tbsp coriander/dhaniya powder
all the popu ingredients






Method :

Pressure cook toor dal with 1 cup of water for 3 to 4 whistles .

• Cut onion into thin slices and slit green chillies, cut all the vegetables .


• Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice .


• Heat oil in Sauce pan and add menthulu/fenugreek, cumin seeds, mustard seeds , when the seeds splutter add crushed garlic , pinch of hing, pinch of turmeric, curry leaves,chillies and onions.


• When the onions turn into golden brown add all the vegetables. Allow it to cook for some time in open pan and then add the tamarind juice.


• Adjust the water and add salt . Allow all the vegetables to cook in the tamarind juice . This gives a nice tangy flavour to the pappu charu .


• In the mean while mash the pappu into a fine paste , I usually put the pappu in a blender/grinder so that it becomes into a soft paste. If the pappu is not mashed into paste it gets settled down at the bottom and does not mix well with the charu .


• Now add the mashed pappu to the sauce pan and allow it to cook for some more time. You can adjust the water as per requirement.


• Once all the vegetables are well cooked and the charu is boiling well add 2 tbsps of corainder/dhaniya powder.


• If you want your pappu charu to be extra spicy add chilli powder as desired.

Sorakaya Pulusu

This is my second post today . I guess I am excited to post as many recipes as possible . I remember last year when I went to India I made a list of items to eat and pulusu was one among them.














Ingredients :

1 sorakaya
1 big onion
4 to 5 chillies
2 garlic cloves
one lemon sized tamarind
chilli powder
1/2 tbsp Sesame/Nuvvula powder
1/2 tbsp fenugreek/menthulu powder
salt to taste
oil
popu ingredients

Peel the skin and cut the Sorakaya into medium size pieces. Cut onion into thin slices and slit green chillies. Soak tamarind in water and extract the juice .

Heat some oil in a kadai and do the popu or tadka ( 4 tbsp oil, few mustard seeds, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 tsp jeera, 1 dry red chilli, curry leaves,pinch of turmeric and a pinch of hing) .

Take two garlic cloves and crush them . Add it to popu . Add onions and chillies and fry till the onions turn golden brown.

Add the sorakaya pieces and cook for 2 minutes in the open pan. Add salt and close the lid of the kadai. Allow it to cook for some time and then add the tamarind juice and water.Allow it to cook till the sorakaya pieces are well cooked.

**Adjust the water as per the tamarind juice .

Add half tea spoon of sugar or jaggery to the pulusu . Add chilli powder if you want the pulusu to be little extra spicy .

When the pulusu is almost done add half tbsp of Sesame/Nuvvula powder and half tbsp of fenugreek/menthulu powder.(This is optional...however if you have them handy don't forget to add as this makes the pulusu thick ).

Serve hot with rice .

Bendakaya/Okra curry

I generally make bendakaya fry, bendakaya pulusu at home . I used to eat bendakaya koora/bendakaya tomato in India but never made it after I came to U.S . All of a sudden I felt like eating this curry and made it last week, so wanted to share in my blog. The pictures came out very good( unlike my other recipie pictures..:)) .. I guess I am getting little more professional while taking the pictures .






Ingredients:

Okra
1 big Onion
5 to 6 chillies
curry leaves
2 tomatoes
chilli powder
cumin seeds
turmeric
hing
jeera
oil
coriander powder
salt to taste

• In a non stick pan do the popu or tadka ( 4 tsps oil, few mustard seeds, 1 tsp chana dal, 1 tsp jeera, 1 dry red chillie, curry leaves,pinch of turmeric and a pinch of hing) add the green chillies, onions and cook in medium heat till the onions turn golden brown.
• Add cut bendakaya to this and some salt, close the pan with a lid and allow it to cook till the okra is half cooked . Salt gives the required moisture for the okra to cook.
• Add chopped tomatoes to this and close with the lid.
  

• Cook till the okra is tender. Add chilli powder, coriander powder.
• You can even add cilantro instead of coriander powder.

Aloo Paratha

Finally I made aloo paratha....and they tasted really good...:) I realised where I was going wrong whenever I was making them..and now I can confidentally share this amazing recipie in my blog.




Ingredients :
Stuffing :
3 potatoes
2 lemon
2 tbsp chilli powder or chilli paste
salt to taste

Chapathi :
wheat flour
water







Method :
Making Dough :

• Mix 100 gm flour with 75 ml water to form a soft dough.Knead the dough well till it is smooth.


• Boil aloo and mash it into a fine paste.


• Add lemon juice,salt,chilli powder/paste.Mash the aloo again


• Make the dough into lemon sized balls


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and roll out to required thickness.Keep sprinkling dry flour while rolling to avoid sticking.


• Place the aloo stuffing at the center of chapathi.


• Bring the ends to the center from 4 or 5 points.


• Overlap ends so they do not leave an opening. Press gently, dust with dry flour, and proceed to roll.


• Put the paratha on a preheated pan and bake both sides applying oil on both sides with a stapula.


• Serve hot with lemon chutney,curd.

Vankaya Masala

Yesterday I made this curry and turned out to be very taste. So let me share the recipie in this blog.


Preperation Time : 15 minutes

Ingredients :

6 brinjals
2 tomatoes
1 big onion (finely chopped)
5 to 6 green chillies
2 pieces Dal chini or Cinnamon
4 pieces Cloves
1/2 tbsp pepper
1 tbsp gingergarlic paste
1 tbsp Sesame/Nuvvula powder
1 tbsp Coriander/Dhaniya powder
1 tbsp Coconut powder
salt for taste.


Method :

• Dry roast the cinnamon, cloves. Combine with pepper,chopped green chillies, ginger garlic paste and grind them to make a fine paste.
• Take the tomatoes in a bowl and add half cup of water to it and microwave it for 2 minutes(You can put it on stove also). Let the tomoatoes cool, then peel of its skin and put them in a grinder to make puree.
• Wash and chop the brinjals in the center both ways.See that the eggplant is still whole and not chopped fully. There should be two slits in the center.
• Heat oil and fry the brinjals and set them aside.
• Heat some oil in another pan (you can use the left over oil which is used to fry the brinjals).Add the masala that is grinded and then add the finely chopped onions.Allow it to fry till the onions turn golden color.
• Now add the tomato puree and some water to it and cover the pan with a lid for 2 minutes.
• Add the deep fried brinjals , salt , red chilli powder and cover the lid and allow it to cook for sometime.
• Finally add coriander,coconut,sesame powders.
  

Trip to Yosemite

Soda Springs

Bridal Veil Falls from the Glacier Point

Glacier Point

Tioga Pass

Tenaya Lake